连续剧

• Pinyin: lián xù jù
• Hanzi breakdown: 连 = 辶 (movement) + 车 (vehicle), linking; 续 = 纟(silk) + 卖, continuing; 剧 = 豦 (a wild boar) + 刂 (knife), originally meaning intense, later extended to theatrical drama

Meaning

TV series; drama series. A television show with ongoing episodes that form a continuous story.

The standard term for serialised TV dramas, particularly popular in Chinese-speaking areas. Often shortened to 剧 in casual speech. Chinese TV dramas (国产剧), Korean dramas (韩剧), and other series are all 连续剧. 电视剧 is a near-synonym and even more commonly used in daily conversation.

Examples

1. 妈妈每天晚上都看连续剧。 Mum watches TV dramas every evening.
2. 最近有一部新的连续剧特别火。 There's a new TV series recently that's really popular.
3. 这部连续剧一共有四十集。 This TV series has forty episodes in total.

Usage Guide

Context: entertainment, daily life, TV

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 你最近在看什么连续剧？(What TV series are you watching lately?)
• 这部连续剧的结局很让人感动。(The ending of this series was very moving.)

Don't Say

• 我看了一个连续剧电影。(Don't mix 连续剧 with 电影 — a 连续剧 is a multi-episode series, while 电影 is a film. They are different formats.)

Origin & History

连续 means continuous or consecutive; 剧 means drama or play. Together: a drama that continues across episodes — a TV series.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal